Priming composition.



acid or trinitrotoluol. It has been found that with a detonating- UNITESTATES PAT ()FFlGE.

KARL WILHELM WILL, eRUNEwALD-BERLIN, GERMANY.

Panama. COMPOSITION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented Aug. 7, 1906.

Application filed July 25. 1905. Serial No. 271,254,

' To all whom it may concern:

1 Be it known that I, KARL WILHELM WILL, doctor of philoso by andprofessor, chemist, a subject of the ing of Prussia, German Emperor,residing at 4 Dunckerstrasse, Grune- Wald-Berlin, Germany, have inventednew and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Priming Compositionsor Char es for Shells and Torpedoes, of which the fol owing is aspecification.

The invention relates to a prim'ing composition or charge for shells,torpedoes, and the like, the object of the invention being to secureincreased efliciency.

Latterly important progress has been made in the initial primingindustry, owing to the fact that in place of detonating-caps containingfulminate of mercury and certain inorganic substances (such, forexample, as

chlorate of otassium) caps of thiskind have been man actured in which apart of the fulminate of mercury is replaced by picric cap whichcontains 0.7 to 0.8 grams of icric acid or trinitrotoluol upon which asma l initial ca of 0.4 grams fulminat'e of mercury is then p aced aneffect is obtained which has proved to be practically equivalent to thatof a cap containing two grams fulminate of mercury. Theefiect maybereadily proved perforation produced by the ignition of the by thecomparison of the magnitude of the cap upon .a lead plate. Parallel withthe magnitude of this effect is also the capacity for the" initiation ofexplosives, especially of ammoniacal saltpeter explosives. Nowexperiments have demonstrated that a far greater penetration is obtainedif in place of picric acid, or of trinitrotoluol, tetranitromethylanilinor tetranitrothylanilin is em-' ployed forfilling detonating-caps andthat y the employment of the same quantity of these substances anexceedinglylarge increase in the penetrative power as compared withpicricacid or trinitrotoluol is obtained. The

increase in the penetrative power may of course be modified bymixing,thetetranitromethylanilin or the tetranitroethylanilin with theusual additions, more especially with oxygen'vehicles, according torequireusual manner, exceeds that of picric-acid or,

of trinitrotoluol by a very considerable amount. When tested in thecustomary way in the lead block, ten grams of tetranitromethylanilinhave given an extension of four hundred and eighty cubic centimeters ascompared with three hundred and sixty cubic centimeters with picric acidand three hundred and seventy cubic centimeters with trinitrotoluol.These bodies also resent the advantage as compared with picr c acid thateven in a moist condition their behavior toa ward metals is absolutelyindifferent. 'As regards sensitiveness to blows and shocks they behavein the same manner as the other bodies. The sensitiveness and also thedetonating effect may be regulated by the addition of substances of theknown kind.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what. manner the same is to be performed, I declarethatWhat I claim is- An explosive consisting of tetranitromethylanilin andfulminate of mercury in substantially the proportions specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

